For The Birds

It is a well known fact that Januarys in Washington are for the birds. I mean we have either snow, or rain, or both (sometimes at the same time) in copious amounts. This year seems to be more copious than most. Anyhow, sunshine is in short supply this time of year. That isn't the worst of it, though. All that moisture leaves one stuck in the barn waaay too often. With Ella. Oy.

Anyhow, January is also quite literally 'for the birds' around here, and I have pictures to prove it. Notice the photo below. Even Mr. Heron looks disgruntled. It think it kind of goes with the territory. (He's probably annoyed with Ella too. Everyone is. It's simply a fact of life.) But the worst part is, he was freezing his tail feathers off for nothing since there aren't any fish in the pond. I tried to tell him.


Despite the futility of his efforts, however, Mr. Heron sat there all humped up against the cold for quite awhile.

Once he caught the goatmother trying to move in for a closer shot, though, he was off like an Airbus a380. Darn paparazzi.

So, as you can see, that was when it snowed, after which it began to rain ... and rain ... and rain ... and rain ... and, well, you get the picture. The pond is so full it is running down the hill to see if the neighbor can come out to play. The ducks are happy, but hardly anybody else is. The ducks were so happy this morning, in fact, that when the goatmother brought out the cracked corn, they proceeded right up on the bank with Quinn and Cabra. Quinn was delighted, but Cabra was a bit confused by their willingness to share. And that is when this guy showed up.

The goatmother came out of the barn just in time to see this very large Bald Eagle swoop down over the pond, the ducks, Quinn and, OH, NO!, Cabra! Mind you any eagle who tried picking up Cabra might be picking up more than he bargained for. Nonetheless, she is small and plump enough to make it worthwhile, and certainly a temptation. The eagle circled around and landed in a large tree behind the barn as the goatmother rushed out and promptly ushered Cabra into the house.

Now, there is no telling whether the eagle was really after Cabra. He could have been after plump, corn-fed duck, or he might have misunderstood (like the Heron) thinking there must surely be fish in the pond, or he might have just been checking out the Heron's report that the neighbor down the hill has a nice goldfish pond-shaped sushi bar. At any rate, if you happen to be a little fuzzball farm dog, it might just pay to sleep with one eye open ...